Our popular monthly Partners in Design series continued this month with another fun and educational event. Our May design partner was Along the Fence Daylilies, with featured presenter Saundra Dunn. Saundra joined us in our Lansing, MI showroom on May 16, 2023, for this fun and informative session, where she told us all about her business, educated us on different varieties of daylilies, and gave us tips on caring for these beautiful plants.
Along the Fence Daylilies is a small, family-owned farm in Dansville, MI that focuses solely on daylilies! They feature more than 1600 modern hybrid varieties of these beautiful flowers. They also have 800 more varieties kept in display beds until they multiply enough to move to the sales field. They ship daylilies throughout Michigan and across the country. To get the full experience, you can visit their local farm and choose the plants that call to you in person, after which their team will dig the flowers for you. You won’t regret visiting this beautiful local spot where you can experience the varieties of flowers, learn from the experts about caring for them, and go home with your own selection.
This farm is also a member of the American Daylily Society and serves as one of their five tour gardens for their Midwest summer meeting in July. Saundra is the editor of the Midwest region daylily newsletter, and they are a member of the Michigan Farmers Market Association. She also offers “Daylily 101” talks free of charge for local garden clubs, and this summer will be returning to Frederik Meijer Garden for a talk.
Saundra was so enthusiastic and fun, and we all felt we learned a lot during her Partners in Design session. She told us that there are actually over 90,000 varieties of daylilies, which is amazing! Along the Fence Daylilies also employs teenagers every summer, and she told us about the amazing groups of teens who work for them in the summertime. She also shared her experiences with a great group of local senior citizens who “shop” her farm for field decorations. As a family-run business, Saundra also told us about loyal family members who have stuck together and supported this farm since the beginning.
On the practical side, Saundra taught us how to hybridize, plant, and maintain daylilies. She also shared her knowledge with us on how to protect the daylilies from deer. According to Saundra, tree frogs actually love daylilies.
This friendly, beautiful farm hosts many people all year long. Every year, she hosts a group of artists who come to paint the flowers and then sell their paintings. These artists come from all over the world, making this farm a truly internationally known destination.
Here’s a sneak peek at next month’s Partners in Design event:
On June 20, 2023, we will welcome Yohanna Ferra of Habana Delights to our Lansing, MI showroom. This one-of-a-kind business is a gem in our community, serving food and treats from a food truck. They offer a selection of authentic Cuban food and desserts as well as catering services. Learn all about this local business and its fresh, authentic Cuban food in our June Partners in Design event.
